The present invention relates to athletic games and, more particularly, to game apparatus which may be set up in a relatively small area, played by teams including a number of players, and in which movement of the game ball is restrained by a tether line.
Various games have been developed in which a ball, similar to a volley ball or a soccer ball, is tethered. Games of this sort are ideal for confined areas, such as a small, residential back yard, in that the movement of the ball is restricted. It is well known to attach a tethered ball to an upright pole. With such apparatus, the ball is struck with the hand or fist during play of the game and the tethered ball rotates around the support pole in a relatively limited arc of travel. Thus, such a game is not appropriate for play by more than a few players.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,497, issued Oct. 5, 1982, to Warehime discloses a tethered ball arrangement for practicing soccer. In one embodiment, a pair of balls, defining a goal therebetween, are attached together by a tether line. Also attached to the tether line is a rope which is attached, at its opposite end, to the game ball.
While games using a tethered ball have been played in confined areas, a need exists for game apparatus which permits play by a number of players simultaneously, which facilitates eye-hand coordination and player movement, and which is simple and durable in construction.